Hope for Peanut Allergy Sufferers

If you have a child with a peanut allergy, or have a peanut allergy yourself, you know how prolific peanuts are in processed foods. You can find peanut allergen warnings on products ranging from cereals to tofu ice cream to biscuits. Even foods with no discernable relation to peanuts often run the hazard of being manufactured on equipment that is shared with products that do contain peanuts, thus making that food forbidden, direct linkage or not.

Up until now, the main treatment for peanut allergies has been avoidance. For some people, that means they cannot even be in the same building with a peanut butter sandwich, or an open bowl of peanuts. Some progress has been made in the area of oral immunotherapy, which is basically a treatment that helps food allergy sufferers build up a tolerance to the offending food. This, however, is a slow process and its success is directly dependent on the severity of the food allergy itself.

New research by associate professor of food sciences at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, (N.C. A&T) Mohamed Ahmedna, may give those afflicted with peanut allergies hope. Ahmedna has discovered that by using a particular food enzyme, the allergens present in peanuts can be deactivated.

Food enzymes are substances that aid in the digestion process, and have received a great deal of attention as one of the main benefits of following a raw foods diet, also known as a living foods diet.

If further research in this area supports Ahmedna's findings, then food enzymes may also become known as a "cure" for peanut and other food allergies.

Reducing deaths caused by allergic reactions to peanuts would not be the only benefit of finding a way to counteract peanut allergens. Peanuts are a cheap, non-animal source of protein and are full of heart-healthy fat. Their presence or near presence in hundreds of processed foods and even drinks would no longer prohibit allergy sufferers from enjoying a wider range of food choices.

Reducing or eliminating peanut allergies would also be good for peanut growers. North Carolina is the fourth largest peanut-growing state in the United States, so it is no accident that N.C. A&T has a vested interest in researching ways to eliminate the highest-occurring food allergy in the U.S.

Economic advantages aside, eliminating or finding a way to treat peanut allergies that allowed consumption of peanuts would end the necessity of schools, churches or other organizations creating "peanut free zones", or forbidding the food altogether. Restaurants would not have to be diligent regarding cross-contamination while cooking, and sufferers and parents would no longer need to research "peanut policy" on the Internet prior to visiting restaurants, hotels, and other public places.